Office dos and do nots

The early (but not too early) bird catches the worm

This might sound very obvious but being prompt is really important. If you are meant to be at work at 9am, then you should really be there before 9am. When it comes to an interview or a meeting then being too early can actually be inconvenient for the person you are meeting, so stick to arriving 5-10 minutes early for everything and if you are really early go and reward yourself with a coffee!

Communication is key

Everyone gets ill sometimes or misses their train so if you are unable to come into work or a bit delayed just let your supervisor know. If you don’t know who to tell you can always tell Flex Legal and we will get in touch with the appropriate person. Try and give your supervisor/Flex Legal as much notice as possible of the change in plans so that your team at work can make other arrangements.

Overdress (on your first day)

Always overdress on your very first day in the office. Looking smart will help you make a good first impression, so on your first day put on your best work clothes and then gauge what the dress code is. Going forward you can be more casual if that is the environment!

Question time

Starting a new job is hard. You probably won’t know how the printer works or where the loos are or perhaps more importantly, what exactly your supervisor wants you to do, so ask questions! Once you have been given a task, confirm your understanding of this task with your supervisor so that you can get on with the job properly.

Take notes

Your colleagues will be happy to answer your questions but make sure you don’t need to ask the same question lots of times and taking notes really helps with this. So, take in a pad and pen or use your phone to take note of any explanations you are given!

Reply all

When you are replying to an email, check whether people have been added into the email thread. If people have been added then click ‘reply all’ so that those additional people can see your response; there will be a reason why they have been added. That being said, if you really think that there are people on the email thread who shouldn’t be on there, then check this with your supervisor.

Emails again…

Emails are a minefield, so we thought they needed to be covered twice! Make sure you include a subject matter for any emails that you send and never forward someone an email without explaining why you are forwarding them the email.

Call me maybe

Emails are great but sometimes picking up the phone and calling someone is the quickest way for you to get the right answer. If you can’t get through to the person, then just leave them a message and allow that person a good few hours to respond. Constant calling is a sure-fire way to annoy someone so be patient with people and do not harass them!

Be positive

When you are starting out in a new career you are going to have to do some slightly tedious and administrative jobs. That is just what happens in every industry and so even if you are a bit bored, try to be positive and proactive. Often admin tasks are treated as a trust building exercise. If you prove you are competent doing the less glamorous jobs you will be given more responsibility so take every opportunity to show your employer that you are great!